Communications Vehicle

2000 Ford E-350 Ambulance made by Osage Ambulances, Inc

Sold to Rural Iowa Amateur Radio Club by the city of Elgin. Was previously used by Tri-State Ambulance and Northeast Iowa Medical Transport in West Union, IA
By viewing the picture gallery you will be able to see the progress made.

Current Layout for van:
2 rear operating positions with optional 3rd auxiliary station
1st operating position:
Primary radio – Vertex VX-4000 VHF public safety for area public safety channels and ham frequencies.
Secondary radio – Vertex VX-4204 VHF public radio dedicated for amateur radio frequencies.
Secondary radio – Icom IC-F6021 UHF combined public safety and amateur radio frequencies.

Front driver’s position:
Primary radio – Kenwood public safety radio for amateur radio frequencies
Secondary radio – Vertex public safety radio for public safety channels

We will utilize laptop computers for electronic logging of all radio communications within the van along with digital modes on the Icom 746 Pro.

Our club members are also working on having Broadband-Hamnet capability inside the van with the ability to deploy other nodes to create a mesh network in an area. The nodes will be setup with and instant messaging chat room so any computer on the network can chat with others. Along with the network capabilities, a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B will be used as the web and file server so each computer can receive the same documents and have electronic formats of manuals and maps available. We also have an IP camera and node that can install onto one of the extendable antenna masts we have on the side of the van. This camera and others deployed around the area can be viewed via the MESH network and computers in the van.

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Donate to Rural Iowa ARC – a 501c3 organization

Rural Iowa Amateur Radio Club is a non-profit corporation, chartered by the state of Iowa. The club has been recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt organization under IRS Code 501(c)(3). Under this code, anyone that donates financial aid, equipment or any other assets to the club may deduct these donations from their Federal Income Tax.